Climate Map

What is the climate of Turkmenistan like?

Turkmenistan is located in central Asia, sharing borders with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. Turkmenistan is mostly low and flat, with nearly all of the western and central portions of the country covered by the great Karakum Desert—a vast area of desert and steppe that extends throughout Central Asia. The desert gives way to mountains in the south, and a plateau in the east. The country also has a western shore on the Caspian Sea.

Turkmenistan has a desert climate that is severely continental. Summers are long (from May through September), hot, and dry, while winters generally are mild and dry, although occasionally cold and damp in the north. The almost constant winds are northerly, northeasterly, or westerly.

Turkmenistan has exceedingly hot summers followed by cold winters, with temperature ranges that are fairly uniform for the country as a whole. The winters are cold but generally dry and sunny over most of the region. The summers are warm to hot but the heat is made more bearable by the low humidity. In January, temperatures range from -6°C to 5°C (21°F to 41°F); in July, the range is generally between 27°C and 32°C (81°F and 90°F). It can become very hot in the Karakum desert, with daytime temperatures of 45°C (113°F) not unusual.

Most precipitation falls between November and May, but Turkmenistan is a very dry country. Annual rainfall amounts in some parts of the country can reach 400 millimeters (16 inches), but nearly two-thirds of Turkmenistan receives less than 150 millimeters (6 inches) of rain. The capital, Ashgabat, close to the Iranian border in south-central Turkmenistan, averages 225 millimeters (9 inches) of rainfall annually.

The climate of Ashgabat in Turkmenistan indicates the weather conditions inland, whereas that for Türkmenbaşy shows the climate on the Caspian shores.

Climate data for Ashgabat (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	9.0 (48.2)	11.1 (52.0)	17.0 (62.6)	23.9 (75.0)	30.5 (86.9)	36.2 (97.2)	38.4 (101.1)	37.2 (99.0)	31.8 (89.2)	24.4 (75.9)	15.7 (60.3)	9.8 (49.6)	23.8 (74.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	3.9 (39.0)	5.7 (42.3)	11.1 (52.0)	17.6 (63.7)	24.1 (75.4)	29.6 (85.3)	31.7 (89.1)	30.0 (86.0)	24.3 (75.7)	17.1 (62.8)	9.7 (49.5)	5.0 (41.0)	17.5 (63.5)
Average low °C (°F)	−0.1 (31.8)	1.3 (34.3)	6.0 (42.8)	11.8 (53.2)	17.5 (63.5)	22.3 (72.1)	24.5 (76.1)	22.4 (72.3)	17.1 (62.8)	10.8 (51.4)	5.0 (41.0)	1.1 (34.0)	11.6 (52.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	21 (0.8)	33 (1.3)	42 (1.7)	33 (1.3)	23 (0.9)	8 (0.3)	3 (0.1)	2 (0.1)	3 (0.1)	12 (0.5)	23 (0.9)	18 (0.7)	221 (8.7)
Source: www.pogodaiklimat.ru

Climate data for Türkmenbaşy (1981–2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	7.5 (45.5)	8.7 (47.7)	13.1 (55.6)	19.9 (67.8)	25.8 (78.4)	31.6 (88.9)	34.6 (94.3)	34.5 (94.1)	29.3 (84.7)	21.5 (70.7)	14.2 (57.6)	9.1 (48.4)	20.8 (69.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	3.3 (37.9)	3.9 (39.0)	7.7 (45.9)	13.7 (56.7)	19.5 (67.1)	25.1 (77.2)	28.2 (82.8)	28.0 (82.4)	22.7 (72.9)	15.4 (59.7)	9.3 (48.7)	4.9 (40.8)	15.1 (59.2)
Average low °C (°F)	−0.3 (31.5)	−0.2 (31.6)	3.2 (37.8)	8.5 (47.3)	13.6 (56.5)	18.9 (66.0)	22.2 (72.0)	22.0 (71.6)	16.7 (62.1)	10.0 (50.0)	5.0 (41.0)	1.2 (34.2)	10.1 (50.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	12 (0.5)	13 (0.5)	17 (0.7)	16 (0.6)	9 (0.4)	3 (0.1)	2 (0.1)	5 (0.2)	5 (0.2)	11 (0.4)	19 (0.7)	14 (0.6)	126 (5.0)
Source: www.pogodaiklimat.ru

References

• E. A. Pearce, ‎Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
• Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
• Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, (1997), Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: country studies. Claitor's Pub. Division. ISBN 0844409383
• Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press